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My husband and I are in our late 30's to early 40's, empty-nesters and needing to get out of Oregon because the economy/cost of living is insane here. We have been debating two cities in which to relocate. Since I am an artist and he is self-employed, we can work from just about anywhere.

I'm drawn to the Louisville area from what I've reasearched and he's drawn to the suburbs of the Indianapolis, IN area. I would really like to hear from people who live in or have lived in Louisville, to hear what they like about living there? Or even dislikes about living there?

Indy is a great place to live. It has much to offer, but Indiana property taxes will eat your lunch right now. They just changed their system and there are problems galore.

Louisville is ok, but it too has its political problems. For those reasons, I love Oldham County, KY which is just northeast of downtown Louisville. Its a wonderful place to live with quiet neighborhoods, good emergency services, 45 min to Louisville International Airport (best airfares to anywhere in the lower 48) and 75min to Cincinnati International Airport which has direct flight service to many European, Canadian, & S. American locations. In Oldham County, one will find well educated polite people. Great home resale values, and all with a good degree of rural character. Plus, its Kentucky, and for all the jokes, Kentucky fits right into my moderate style. It's not over the top or understated in any way. Moderate weather, fine music from many genre's and so much more.

My husband and I are in our late 30's to early 40's, empty-nesters and needing to get out of Oregon because the economy/cost of living is insane here. We have been debating two cities in which to relocate. Since I am an artist and he is self-employed, we can work from just about anywhere.

I'm drawn to the Louisville area from what I've reasearched and he's drawn to the suburbs of the Indianapolis, IN area. I would really like to hear from people who live in or have lived in Louisville, to hear what they like about living there? Or even dislikes about living there?

Thanks in advance for your help!

For an artist and as a "liberal" mid sized city, I think you will find Louisville much more to your liking than Indy. In many ways, Louisville is similar to a smaller Portland. I have never visited Portland but have read much about it, and I hope to visit very soon.

Louisville and Indy are about the same price, but I find Indy to be bland and sprawling, with much more traffic than it should have for its size. Indy and Louisville are similar in city population, but the metro population of Indy is a decent clip larger, about 400k larger. The vibe in Louisville is more laid back and more conducive to an artist, and the in town neighborhoods are more historic and cooler. The food and arts scene is better in Louisville than Indy as well. At the same time, Indy has an advantage in having pro sports as well as better shopping options like Saks, Crate And Barrel, and Trader Joe's, none of which are currently in Louisville (although rumors abound of them opening soon). Indy has a nicer downtown as of now, but that is fast changing as Louisville has billions in construction downtown , the crown jewel of which breaks ground this summer:

Louisville is more eclectic, and a bit more "liberal" in the in town areas, but both are overall conservative metros outside the urban cores. I think you will like the Highlands, Crescent Hill, Old Louisville, or St Matthews over any cookie cutter Indy suburb, especially Carmel which is super nice, but reminds me of golf course, "corporate America." While Indy and Louisville are not too different on paper, and while they may largely seem similar, they actually "live" differently in many ways. Come visit both cities to see. You may PM me with other questions.

Wow, thanks so much for all the valuable info. I was on the same page in my thinking about Indy. I know it's going to be a difficult transition but I just feel like Louisville would be more to our liking.

Wow, thanks so much for all the valuable info. I was on the same page in my thinking about Indy. I know it's going to be a difficult transition but I just feel like Louisville would be more to our liking.

Louisville has the "St. James Art Festival" every year. This is on at least 4 Louisville news stations. People from other states come just for the different crafts and arts, also, for the fun and meeting others. It is held in the "Old Louisville" area, with beautiful historical homes, but this area is sandwiched in between bad areas of Louisville. Berea, Ky is also, known for their many arts and crafts, they specialize in crafts, paintings, pottery which were made as they did in the 18th and 19th century. This is a smaller but mostly upper class (rich) area. You may want to check both areas out on the internet before making your move.

I am partial to L'ville even though I do not live there. Indy isn't bad but it is just too flat for me.

What I like about Louisville:
Proximity to the Hoosier National Forrest
Thunder Over Louisville
Wicks
Kentucky Derby
Some of the parks around the metro
More diverse landscape -- not so flat
Bardstown Rd area

We moved to Louisville from Seattle. It took probably 3 years before we really felt comfortable, but it depends on your priorities. Louisville is a mix of midwest and south which gives it a bit more flavor than just the midwest but also the slower pace of the south.

People are friendly, welcoming, mild, and fairly laid back. What will shock you coming from the PCN are:

1) It's a generally working class blue collar mentality;
2) There aren't the great outdoor activities, shopping, etc you're used to;
3) The area is older and poorer looking;
4) The pace of life is slower and less ambitious;
5) Despite all this, people seem to think it's the center of the universe.
6) And those with standard middle management jobs and up seem to have ridiculously high opinions of themselves.
7) It seems that everyone goes to church and expects you to go too. Its almost critical for business networking.
8) Lack of diversity. After the West Coast, it feels like everyone here is either black or white American. That's changing for the better but still takes a bit of getting used to.

What you'll like:

1) People are more open and friendly;
2) Progressives are easier to find than is appearent at first;
3) Once you find your kind of people to network with, you're easily accepted into the group (relative to the PNW).
4) It's a beautiful state in its own right, but the outdoors aspect is much less cultivated. IE you'll find incredible parks and outdoor areas but they're virtually deserted. Definitely less bike friendly.
5) It IS a more wholesome and vice free area to raise the youngens;
6) Despite certain people with above average jobs and their tendancies to grandiosity, people in general are fairly low key and unpretentious.
7) It's more integrated than the west coast, and you'll sense much more ease between blacks and whites.
8) Low cost of living, low traffic, low crime, etc

To sum up, its a nice slow paced friendly place with traditional values without typical big city problems that can become very comfortable to live in after you adjust.

On the other hand, you'll miss many of the virtues of the PNW including the incredible natural resources, liberal open mindedness, being on the cutting edge of technology and ideas, etc. In short, it can feel like a backwater and pretty much is. But that can be OK if you're looking to raise a family, retire or generally back away from the fast track.

Indianapolis would be somewhat faster paced, but also even more midwestern bland. I haven't visited there often enough to give a meaningful opinion.

Thanks for the synopsis. I am seriously considering a move to L-Ville from the Pac NW area. I've been to L-ville before and was raised in Illinois, so it probably won't be too much of a shock for me---maybe more of an adjustment. I'll be there in mid Oct to check out the area and get a good general feel. Last time I was there was 2004, right before I moved to the Puget Sound area. I am ready to get away from the general frenzy. I lived in the south for 10 years previous to my move to the Pac NW. To me, L-Ville seems perfect b/c it has the midwestern feel I was raised with without the blandness and yet the southern charm I grew to love. Although I'll tell you, it is hard to imagine not being near the mountains, ocean, forests, and the incredible hiking, along with the close proximity to Alaska for very cool summer trips. Tradeoffs tradeoffs

did you ever decide where to move? I'm from Louisvile - have lived in Seattle and visted Portland many times. The quality of life in Louisville is very, very high. Cost of of living is extremely good - and the city is very focused on the arts. I bike to work everyday - 7 miles, and find my way through parks and bike paths from a neighborhood east of downtown into downtown. You'll love it!

This post is also late, but I wanted to weigh in as I have lived in Oregon and Illinois, so I went to Indianapolic quite a bit. I think unless your husband can do a lOT better there being self-employed, Indianapolic is really only for people raising families. It's just a bit bland.

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